Saturday, November 24, 2018

Gift wrapping and Martin Luther King

It's that time of year when people are going nuts buying gifts and trying to find innovative ways to wrap them. If you spend exact 3 seconds on google searching "gift wrapping ideas", you will come back thousands if not millions of ideas. There are some creative people in this world who have taken gift wrapping to a whole new level, making the wrapping itself a work of art.

And yet, the truth is, the wrapping is just that ... completely worthless it and of itself. Think about this for a second ... look at these gorgeously wrapped presents:


Imagine how excited you would feel to get such gorgeous presents on your birthday or a holiday or whatever. These are truly a work of art. A lot of time and effort went into the presentation. Now imagine that when you opened all your gorgeous presents, they were just empty boxes. Would you be happy?  Of course not. It doesn't matter how much time or effort goes into the presentation, the truth is that what really matters is what is INSIDE the present.

Then you have some people who are like me. Yes, I would love to spend the time and effort to make my gifts look as lovely as these do. The truth is, I just don't have the patience, or the supplies to do it. Recently, I had a friend who was under a lot of stress. I had made her a gift. I knew she "needed" a pick me up, and even though it wasn't the right time to give it to her, I wanted her to have it. However, I didn't have any of the necessary supplies to wrap it nicely. I wrapped it up in some nice tissue paper, and put inside a cute plastic bag. Nothing fancy. Just a regular shopping bag that I got in Israel that looked nice.  While the package didn't look like much, the wrapping really didn't matter in the least, because the gift inside is what really mattered.  (Yes, she loved it despite the crummy wrapping job.)

What am I getting at? Humans are the same way. The color of our skin, hair, eyes, if we have scars or look gorgeous ... these are all external things. They are the wrapping paper we wear. It doesn't matter if we have curly hair or straight hair, gorgeous perfect skin or are scarred with acne.  It doesn't matter if our physical body is considered perfect, or if we are disfigured or if we are over (or under) weight. What matters the most if the character we possess.  Are we kind? Are we friendly and happy? Do we think of others or are we selfish? Do we care about others feelings, or do we only care of what affects us? Character determines if you are pretty on inside. A person can be "ugly" on the outside, but if they have a lovely personality, people learn to look past the physical looks, because the beauty shines from the inside out. Queen Esther was chosen from all the girls to be the wife of King Achasvariosh, and yet, she had a green complexion. The commentaries say that her chein, her inner beauty, shined out, making her gorgeous on both the inside and the outside.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it the best in his famous speech, I have a Dream. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."  

Sadly, we are so far away from this. But not from the Right. It comes from the Left. It's the people who look at the Rockettes and complain that there are too many white women in the picture. https://www.weaselzippers.us/403578-the-rockettes-are-slammed-online-over-the-lack-of-diversity-in-dancers/ 


I could link to a million articles, but time after time after time it's the same thing ... Leftists look at things through a black and white lens, rather than just looking at through a clear lens. You need to have more female CEOs and you need more diversity, even if it means not bringing in the best person for the job or school position. I don't know about you, but I for one, do NOT want my pilot (if I were to fly which I won't) or a doctor to be the one who got picked for their skin or body parts. I want the BEST person, whether that person is white, black, green, purple, male, or female. 

To sum things up, this story says it all:
In 1986, the Rebbe began conducting a weekly "receiving line." Each Sunday, the Rebbe would stand in a small room near his office as thousands of men, women and children filed past to see him and receive his blessing. Many used the opportunity to pose a question and receive a word of advice. And to each of them the Rebbe gave a dollar bill, appointing them as his personal agent (shaliach) to give it to the charity of their choice.
Why the dollar? The Rebbe explained his custom by quoting his father-in-law, Rabbi YosefYitzchak of Lubavitch, who would often say: "When two Jews meet, something good should result for a third." The Rebbe wished to elevate each of the thousands of encounters of the day to something more than a meeting of two individuals; he wanted that each should involve the performance of a mitzvah, particularly a mitzvah that also benefits another individual.
Again, a most amazing phenomenon was reported by all who came for "Sunday Dollars." The Rebbe, well into his ninth decade at the time, would stand for as long as eight hours without interruption. Yet in the few seconds that he or she was with the Rebbe, each visitor felt that the Rebbe was there only for them. It was as though he or she were the only visitor of the day.
Once, an elderly woman could not contain herself and burst out: "Rebbe, How do you do it? How is it that you do not tire?"
The Rebbe smiled and replied: "Every soul is a diamond. Can one grow tired of counting diamonds?"
Every single person is a diamond. If the Leftists will stop looking at the wrapping, and start looking inside, they may find that sparkle. But of course, they won't listen to me, because I'm a racists, Islamophobic, transphobic, homophobic, hating Conservative. Oh yeah, and I'm misogynistic and antisemitic too. 

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Thank You Hashem / Thanksgiving 2018



There is an inyan (idea) of saying Thank You Hashem for everything. The good, the not so good, and everything in between. (Is there really anything in between?)  A few months ago I got this book called The Garden of Miracles by Rabbi Shalom Arush. I have a few of his other books, and thought that this would make a lovely addition to the Yossi Chaim a'h Memorial Library.  However, after I read one story, I thought it was "stupid". Basically, the premise of the book is to say Thank You to Hashem and you will see miracles happen.  The first story was a childless couple who decided to accept they were never going to have kids and they thanked Hashem for their childlessness. I never finished the story, thinking it was pure drivel. (OK, I admit ... sometimes I can be very cynical.)  Then I saw a really cute video on my bereavement group. It was forwarded from the Thank You Hashem group. I ended up joining one of the groups (they have 11 or 12 of them now to accommodate all the people who want to be part of it).  AND .... I thought it was stupid. Thank you Hashem for giving me a parking spot ... Thank you Hashem for me not getting a ticket .... Thank you Hashem for blah blah blah ... such mundane, everyday little annoyances of life. Big time cynical, so I decided I had enough and I was going to leave the group.

Before I left though, I felt that maybe I needed to give it a shot. I had just bought 3 or 4 bags of jewelry, so I said, Thank you Hashem for giving me jewelry bags (which are getting harder and harder to get lately).  As I am going through the bags, they seem to be very blah bags. Until I pulled out a 14K gold bracelet. I got real excited and said, THANK YOU HASHEM! Then I remembered the group. I said to Hashem, if I pull out another piece of gold, I will post to the group. Lo and behold! Next I pulled out a 14K gold necklace.  All in all, I had several pieces of gold, some silver, and some lovely vintage pieces. I did publicly post to the group, and since then I've been a "reformed" person.

Fast forward to Nov 1, a week before Rosh Chodesh Kislev.  A cyber-friend posted to the bereavement group a message from her Thank You Hashem group that it is a custom to say shir hashirim for 40 days, ending on the 8th day of Chanukah, called Zos Chanukah.  I have very bitter feelings towards Zos Chanukah, as that is the day that we found out Yossi's treatment wasn't working. I found out later that Zos Chanukah is also the final day of judgement back from Tishrei ... which is why I feel a little bitter towards it. So I decided to transform Zos Chanukah into a positive experience. I decided that for me, I would take these forty days and use them to thank Hashem. Each day I am trying to come up with 10 things in my life that I am thankful for.  Today is Day 22 of my personal "Thank Hashem" mission. Since today is also Thanksgiving, I'll share a few of my things I am thankful for. Maybe it will inspire someone else to be thankful for the small things in their lives.

This is not the full list, just 40 of them, not in any particular order:


  • My wonderful husband
  • President Trump
  • Shabbos
  • Smart phones
  • reading glasses
  • umbrellas
  • warm blankets
  • Bill of Rights
  • the US Constitution
  • autumn leaves
  • perfume
  • milk chocolate
  • teshuva
  • hazelnut flavored coffee
  • Binah magazine
  • Savvy Sheitels
  • sleeping in
  • thrift stores
  • yummy peppers in pretty colors
  • hugs & kisses from grand kids
  • What's App
  • fantastic friends
  • Jewish music
  • my pink Sig Sauer p238
  • Dansko shoes
  • my family -- My mom; brother, in-laws, kids (and kids-in-law), grand kids
  • pareve chocolate chips
  • shells to wear under clothes in so many gorgeous colors
  • awesome neighbors
  • shabbos naps
  • razors (and shaving cream!)
  • Cooks Illustrated
  • Our Tapestry
  • sweet juicy oranges
  • almonds
  • jewelry!
  • Drop Box
  • the Torah & mitzvos (to connect w/ Hashem)
  • lipstick
  • pre-made pizza crusts
Gee ... what does it say about me that so many of my things revolve around food? LOL ... I guess today is a perfect day to be thankful for all the wonderful things Hashem has given us, especially the delish food!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Try and make every day a day to Thank Hashem for all the good He has bestowed on you, and you will see how much you really have to be thankful for. ~ Leah

Friday, November 2, 2018

#nohumanisillegal

Serious discussion here, with some food for thought.

Scenario 1:
You are sleeping late at late with your spouse. Your children are in their rooms. You hear a noise, and jump out bed. You run around trying to locate the source of the noise. You discover a woman standing in your living room. She has broken the lock on the back door and entered your house. She is a homeless woman, who left her previous city looking for a better place to live. She asks you, Can you please hire me to be a nanny for your children? Or can she be your cleaning woman?  It's 2am.

>Do you call the cops because this woman broke into your house?
>Do you give her a room to sleep in, a change of clothes, some food to eat, and immediately hire her to watch your children?

Scenario 2:
You own a business and are looking for a new employee. A husky man walks in and says, I WANT THE JOB.  He has no resume, no id, no nothing.

>Do you politely tell him that you can't hire someone with no resume or any information.
>Do you hire him because he he needs a job and he is willing work?

Scenario 3:
You are driving along a deserted highway. Suddenly, you notice a family, a father, a son, and and probably an uncle or something. It's 3 guys. They are hoping you will give them a ride to the next town, which is at least 50 miles away with nothing on the road.

>You don't even stop because you don't pick up hitchhikers.
>You stopped, got their story, and offer them a ride. Actually, they want you turn around and go back the way you were going because they aren't going to THAT city, they are going to the one you just came from. Sure, no problem.

I see these signs all the time -- No Human is Illegal.  Yeah, right. I would love to show up in their house one night, except I really don't want to get arrested. I have a feeling that even those people won't be too happy with a stranger showing up in the middle of night.

Do you lock your doors at night, or when you go away? If you believe in "no borders" and "no human is illegal", then you should NOT be locking your doors. You should be willing to let anyone who wants to walk into your house come in.

And if anyone knows of a decent job where you can be hired just on your desire to work, let me know.  (I'm not talking about picking strawberries or cleaning hotel rooms; I'm talking about a real job, like one in a bank or a supermarket cashier or an accounting firm, etc)  I seriously doubt anyone would hire someone with no resume and no references, especially in one involving children, like a care-giver, nanny, or nursery assistant.

In my opinion, if we aren't comfortable with strangers walking into our homes and making themselves part of the family (think squatters!), then why in the world should we let people into our country who want to do the same thing? America is our HOME. It should have the same rules we put up on our own personal houses.

So if you believe in no borders and no one is illegal, yet you lock your car or home, you, my dear, are a hypocrite!  If you vet the person you hire to watch your children, but think we should let anyone into the country w/o any vetting, again, you are fooling yourself.

Monday, October 29, 2018

You Don't Chase Away Darkness With a Stick

“A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.”
– Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

There is a story told of some chasidim who were making a farbrengin. They must have been downstairs, because, it started to grow dark. Because they had been in the room as it grew dark, they didn't even realize. Soon another came, and asked why they were sitting in the dark. They told him, "Come join us. Soon enough you will become accustomed to the darkness."
This chasid replied to them that they were being foolish. All they had to do was to light a candle, and there would be light!
This moshel teaches us that we shouldn't become complacent. Rather, we should always strive to fill the world with light.
In Judaism, we have some mitzvos that are connected to light. Each week we light candles to usher in shabbos. Every holiday is ushered in the same way, by lighting candles. We light Chanukah candles, starting with one and adding another every night until there are eight. The lesson from this is to add to the light. 

The world was created through Torah. Although we can't see it, there is a parallel spiritual universe as well. Our physical act of lighting candles brings much spiritual light into the physical world, even though we can't see it.

If you strike a match, it's very relative to how bright the light is. If you light it out a bright room, you aren't going to notice the light. However, that same match lit in a pitch dark room gives off a ton of light. 

This weekend we saw the darkness of pure evil. 11 souls were lost simply because they are Jewish  No other reason. As a Jew, I've been raised on stories of mesiras nefesh, giving up your life for G-d. It's not something that usually happens though. The story of Chanukah features a heroine whose 7 sons died for Judaism. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the terrorism in Israel, the list sadly goes on. The stories get more horrific than the previous ones. It's something you just learn to accept. There are people in this world who hate me for no other reason than I'm a Jew. There was one an antisemite on a forum who told me he hopes my son suffered terribly before he died. In the early 80s, we were flying cross country, with a stop in the mid-West. The flight attendant had never seen a Jew before. She asked us, where are your horns? (We told her we left them at home and walked on the plane.)

There is the famous question  ... Are Jews a race or a religion? The answer is, we are both and more. We are family. All Jews are connected, like one huge body. When you have an ingrown toe nail, your whole body hurts. You don't say, Eh, it's only a toe, it doesn't cause so much pain. Yes, it does!!! And since we Jews are all connected, when one hurts, we all hurt. The tears I've cried for people I've never met! I still do things in memory of the kidoshim who died in Mumbai, all these years later.

So evil raised its ugly head, and surprisingly, light is prevailing. The acts of goodness that are being performed are heartwarming. Yesterday, in our ladies group, they posted comments neighbors and coworkers made, expressing their sorrow over what happened. Today, a dear cyber friend reached out to me to let me she loves me and she so sorry. Flowers were left by our synagogue. A go fund me account was set up, by people who are not Jewish. Why? They want us to know we are not alone. Originally, their plan was to sponsor kiddush this shabbos. This goal was quickly met and surpassed. The organizer spoke with the rabbi. They decided to use the money towards extra security now needed. As of today, October 31, they met THAT goal of $1, 500!!! Driving back to VA from NJ, we passed so many buildings with their flags at half staff. To me, it was like a little hug. The entire country is mourning with us.


Years ago, a total stranger on Facebook told me that as long as he is alive, something like the Holocaust will never happen again. He would not allow it. He would give up his life trying to stop it. In some ways, this world seems so dark and scary. It's a world where people sometimes die while in the House of Worship. It's a world where some people feel safer knowing they have a gun near by (like me, never again means NEVER AGAIN). In other ways, this world is very different from the generation of the Holocaust. There are too many good people who understand the ramifications of sitting back and doing nothing. It's a world where we instantly know what is going on, whether it's near us or on the other side of the world. It's a world where there are a lot of people who will NOT allow us to be slaughtered again. And that fills me with hope. Because goodness will always prevail.

May the memories of these 11 kidoshim always be a blessing, and may Hashem speedily avenge their spilled blood. May there be no more sorrow, and we should witness the rebuilding of the 3rd Holy Temple speedily in our days, right now!

Edited to add:
The day after I wrote this, a picture is circulating around on what's app. 

KTT (khal tiferes tefilah) in monsey:

Last night, an African American man walked up to a guy in front of the shul and asked " are you part of the group?" The fellow answered affirmatively. He then handed him an envelope and said "there are more good people than bad people out there " and walked away. Here is the card:

My classmate, Nami Friedman, who is a shlucha in Pittsburgh wrote to our class  about some heartwarming things going on there now:

"This beautiful Pittsburgh community has responded with strength, love and unity. We are devastated but fighting darkness with light.

Our kids have not stopped with acts of goodness and kindness, we are busy with projects for the families, challah bakes in classes to give out to someone who may not have etc. 

The out pouring of love from the general community and whole of USA has been phenomenal."



Wednesday, August 15, 2018

You Never Lose Out from: DOING THE RIGHT THING!

My friend wants me to write a book on all my thrift store stories. I have so many of them. I even have a great title for it ... Finding G-d While Thrifting.

So here is a story that happened today. Let me know what you think --

A few weeks ago I was at one of the local thrift stores. The woman knows me. As soon as she saw me, she handed me a small baggie of jewelry. (I go to this store for the big giant bags.)  I asked if they had any big bags, which she gives me. The small bag was marked "Sterling" for $150. I glanced at it, and then put it down. I started really looking at the big bag, trying to decide if I wanted it or not. (It was $75, and had like 10X more stuff.)  So this other treasure hunter I've seen around comes over to me, and asks if I am taking the small bag. I hesitated for a second ... I didn't really look at it. I saw a Silpada necklace that sells for $15-20. There were a bunch of other smaller silver pieces that are really hard to sell, and the heaviest brooch was marked pewter, not sterling. I am debating saying I want to look at it better when I had a flash back to another incident. When one of the stores had their grand opening, this woman ran in like a lunatic, and grabbed every single jar. She wouldn't let anyone else look at them, and then she bought them all.  I didn't like that, so ever since then, I've been good about sharing jars. So with that in mind, I handed the bag to the guy and said, if you aren't going to take it, I'll look at it better.
So the guy looks, whips out his loop, and gets all excited. I said, OH, what did I miss? He said he would show me after he pays. Which he does. He pulls out a 14K bracelet that would have more than paid for that bag! He did give me the Silpada necklace, but I was very annoyed with myself. Then I thought it through ... that bag wasn't meant for me to have. This bag belonged to that guy, and I got there a few minutes before him. Hashem put that thought into my head to hand it to him, because otherwise, if I had seen the gold, I would have bought it. Even though rationally I knew it wasn't mine; I was still very annoyed with myself. (I did end up getting 3 jars [for less than that one bag] that had a 14K bracelet, so like I said, you never lose out from doing the right thing.)

Now today I called one of the stores, and they had 2 jars and 2 boxes of bangles. So I head over there. When I walked in, a different treasure hunter was there waiting for them to open the case.  When they opened the case, the guy lunged in and grabbed the jars, and one of the boxes ... which he glanced at, and handed to me. He grabbed the second box, and set it down. I was so annoyed, because it's really not fair to grab everything in there. While still blocking me, he reaches to the other side to grab the necklace there, and announces it's sterling silver. (I know; I saw it yesterday and the day before.)  I was making faces at the cashiers. I finally walked over and told them what happened; how he grabbed everything and wouldn't let me look at anything. I said, It doesn't matter, you can't get what isn't meant to be.
So I waited. He gave me that first box which was junk. Put it back. He wouldn't let me look at the second box, because he was taking it.  Then he hands me one jar while he is looking at the second jar. That jar had a Silpada necklace in it, but not much more. Maybe a silver ring, maybe 2 of them. Finally he hands me the other jar. I saw a silver ring, some other little things, a brooch, and basically decided it was worth it. He set his box aside, and went to go look elsewhere. I decided to get the second jar, but couldn't decide on the first. So I finally just put it back; let someone else get it. So the guy comes back, and starts asking me what I see in the jar. He starts berating my selections, saying the "you think that's a brooch" and it's an ugly color that doesn't sell. I cut him off with, I like it; it's for me. So I pay for my jar and then the worker comes out with two rings. He grabs at one ring, while I snag the other. It's a Tiffany ring. I explained to her that it's a nice ring, but they don't sell for what they have it priced at; they should have marked it lower. (I wasn't lying; just trying to help her.)  The guy goes to buy the ring he had plus his other stuff. So while he was in line, I told the worker what happened. She whispers to me that there is another jar in the back but she can't bring it out yet cuz she has to watch to make sure he pays for the ring since it's $160. She tells me to hang around a few minutes, and she will bring the jar out.

So I go to my car and dump my jar. HAHAHA! I got a pair of 14K cz earring studs in there. And the brooch wasn't a brooch, it was a necklace, which is fine, cuz I really like it for my projects. (I'll explain another time.)  I go back in, and look ... there is a new jar! The guy is gone, and I look at the jar. Yes, there are some nice things, so I buy that one as well.

I dumped everything, and tonight when I was going through it ... I am not sure which jar it came out of, whether it was the first or second one I bought ... but the pretty silver ring isn't silver. It's 10K white gold! I THINK IT'S HYSTERICAL! Here the guy thought he was going to get the best stuff by hogging everything, and Hashem rewarded me for being patient.

Like I always say ... if you are meant to have it, you will. There is NOTHING that can stop you from getting what you are supposed to get!

And I still believe that you will never lose out from doing the right thing. So share those jars and bags, because you never know who is supposed to get what.

Happy Hunting!

Saturday, May 26, 2018

"HAPPY" Memorial Day

Today was shabbos. My husband went to shul, as did some of my kids. People in our area could walk to and from shul wearing their tallis. We made kiddush without fear of arrest . We ate kosher food that is fairly easy to attain. Life as a religious Jew here is basically easy. Compare that to Communist Russia, where people were killed for making a bris on their son. Kosher food, shabbos, mikvah, learning Torah, all those made you an enemy of the state. The stories of what happened to Yidden there are both heart breaking and inspiring. You can compare our life to Jews in any other country in history, and I think living now a day in America would win out as first choice.
Yesterday when I went out, I brought my trusty little friend with me, Ms. Ruger. I saw a bumper sticker that said RESIST. That person is able to criticize our government without fear of disappearing in the middle of the night.
In other words, we, in America, are FREE. We are free to speak our minds, gather together, practice our religion, carry or own guns, and much more.
But as the saying goes, freedom isn't free. It's paid for with blood. The blood of soldiers who died for these freedoms.
Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember those who have fallen. Take a minute to think about some of the freedoms we have that others only dream of. Monday at 3pm is supposed to be a moment of silence in memory of these brave men and women. Let's respect their memories, and most especially, don't let their sacrifice be in vain.


Sunday, May 13, 2018

Trip in Review

I sit here today on Yom Yerushalayim, and the eve of the Unite States of America moving it's embassy to Jerusalem, and I am so sad. With all my heart and soul I wish I was there.  All I can do now is look back at my glorious trip and sigh.  אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם-- תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי.

And now for a recap ... things we loved and things we didn't love as much.  I asked Sheindy for her opinions, what were her favorite things to do. 

I will start with mine. I am beyond thrilled that I found Tami from Nof Tours. I know I took a huge chance by booking 5 tours with a complete stranger. But right away, I felt at ease with her.  We connected instantly, and the amount of time and effort she put into my trip is beyond amazing.  She never got tired (or at least, didn't let me know) of my million and one questions and changes. On the trips, she was so flexible, working with us, instead of just plugging along with the agreed plan.  I am forever grateful for how wonderful she made our trip!

Sheindy's number one, most favorite activity was ... drum roll please .... Aqua Kef !!!
This was an activity she asked several times if we could repeat. Unfortunately, that was not possible. However, it does give her something to look forward to the next time we go!

#2 activity: Snorkeling with the Dolphins. Once she got the hang of how to snorkel, she loved it! This was another activity she did ask to repeat.

Now the rest of these are not in any particular order:

Jeeping in Midbar Yehuda

Horseback riding in Netanya

tornado boating near Rosh Hanikra with Trek Yam Achziv

samples of & makaing chocolate at De Karina Chocolate Factory

bunkers are Mt. Bental in the Golan Heights

Works of art at the Safed Candle Factory in Tzafas

shopping in the Old City of Tzafas

water hike 

carousela boating on the Kinneret

shopping a the shuk

cholov Yisroel ice cream at every gas station!

as well as bagels & cream cheese bagels & chocolate muffins from Green Good Food; Burgers Bar, the "spooky tunnels" at Ir Dovid (Hezkiyahu tunnels).  Sheindy didn't enjoy the historical stuff, like the walking tours and holy graves. I think that is partially because she is too young to appreciate what the kavarim mean, and how holy they are to pray at.

I really enjoyed the kavarim, and tried to keep it to a minimum for her. I loved shopping in the Old City of Tzafas, and wandering around in the Old City in Yerushalayim.  I enjoyed horseback riding a lot, but was so sore for two days after! One of the most special parts of the trip was the time spent with my grand daughters!
I loved how much the Israeli's love Trump! I never did find a Trump item for my husband in Hebrew, but I also didn't look too hard.
One thing that made me very sad was seeing the chayalim everywhere. They are so young, and it breaks my heart that they have to serve in the IDF instead of being carefree. I wish Moshiach would be here already so these young men & women didn't need to serve; their guns could be broken!  I did bless many of them to stay safe, and let them know they are constantly in my prayers. I pray Hashem will watch over them and keep them safe until they return to their homes.
I loved walking in Eretz Yisroel, and breathing in the holy (if not at times smokey) air. I loved just looking out of the window of Shauly's apartment and seeing the hills and houses. 

“I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come.”


All Good Things Must Come to an End

Wednesday May 9 / 24 Iyar
I can't believe it! Our time is Israel is over. So sad, that we have to go back to Virginia and to real life.
Huvi and I took Rikki to gan. I went to Greens to get my last iced coffee. Well, it seems that Huvi loves iced coffee as much as I do. She claimed it and wouldn't give it back. At one point she feel asleep, and even in her sleep, she wouldn't let go of it! LOL!
We walked to Meah Shearim to go to Avigail Bakery, which I think has the most awesome cookies. It was the first time I was able to get there this trip, but I bought a ton of cookies to bring back to America with us.
From there I went to Jerusalem Yarmulka. I needed to order the mantel (cover) for the sefer Torah.  It was so good I went in person, because I was able to express exactly what I wanted.  We were going to look into combining three designs to make what it was I had envisioned. Yet when I walked in there, there was a design I didn't notice before that was so perfect! We did end up combining two designs, but she created something that I feel encapsulated the exact idea I was trying to get across with the mantel. Something elegant yet looking forward with hopes of Moshiach arriving quickly. If you want to see what I picked, you need to come to the Hachnases Sefer Torah next Shushan Purim. I am not giving away at all to anyone what I picked out.
The timing was perfect, because when I finished up there, Zahava and Sheindy were ready to meet me in Ben Yehuda.  The plan was to take Sheindy to the shuk to get the last presents we still needed for those at home.
When I got to the meeting place, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Shauly had joined them. Zahava and Sheindy were hungry, so we went to Sam's Bagels to get lunch. After lunch, we stopped to pick up a sweat shirt for Shoshana (and Sheindy). Finally we were off to the shuk.  Huvi had sorta reached her limit, so Shauly took her home, and the three of us headed off looking for some bangles for Olivia and a purple chamsa for my mother-in-law, among other things.  The bangles was a total bust, as was the purple chamsa.  I did find a pretty gift for her, but it wasn't exactly what I had wanted.
Sheindy was happy to have finally found the famous "chocolate milk in the bag" that her friend had told her about.  She said it was good, but not as great as it was built up to be.

We needed to pick up the personalized sweatshirts, and I still had some last minute packing to finish up.
After spending two weeks in Israel, I was finally going to get my lamb-burger that I had been waiting for and talking about for the last two years.  We all went to Burgers Bar for dinner.  Dinner was nice, if not a little rushed, because I was nervous about getting to the airport on time.  Penina & Yaffi were finally able to join us on a trip! Yay!




5 minutes before we were due to leave, I managed to lock myself in the bathroom ... not good for my nerves!  Thankfully, Zahava got me out and our ride came right on time.
For anyone traveling to or in Israel, I highly recommend Yisroel Braun of Executive Drives.  Shauly had recommended him to me for the airport pick up and I used him in both directions.  Let me tell you, you travel in style. He has water and different kinds of coffees and cookies, etc. You are treated like a queen & princess (at least, we were!).  Sheindy even commented to me after how happy she was with the trip to the airport. (I get nothing for the plug, just passing it along cuz we were so happy.)
This is always the worst part of the trip; going back to America.  I love Israel so much, and I miss the kids & grandkids. The world is just so different there. You feel it everywhere you go.  The kedusha seems to just drip out of the rocks and trees.  Then we come back to the mundane world here, where gashmius rules. *sigh*  Can't wait to go back, may it be today with Moshiach!



Yerushalayim, forever in our hearts!

  אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם-- תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי.

19,299 Steps

Tuesday May 8 / 23 Iyar
Our trip to Northern Israel totally wiped us both out. Sheindy fell asleep so quickly. Me, not so much so, because I had to update my blog. I woke up at 3:45 because my throat was hurting so badly. I got some cold water and took advil, but it took a very very long time to kick in. I worked on my blog, and before I knew it, it was time to wake Sheindy up to get ready for our day. A little bit of coffee and I was good to go.
Our first tour of the day was with Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum from Chevron. This was on my bucket list to do from my last trip. It's an "Off the Beaten Track" tour.  This tour is going to take us to most of the gates surrounding the Old City. We met at the Dung Gate. We start with the Southern excavations of the Temple Mount. Then we headed East down along the mountain with Har Hazaisim on our right. We stopped in a Bedouin tent for some tea and a talk.
We learned the history of the monument of Avshalom, Dovid Hamelech's son. This son is the one who tried to murder him.
Rabbi Hochbaum has so much knowledge! We saw the monument to Zachariah as well.
There were some cool tombs where they think they used to embalm the kohanim. Next we had up and passed another sealed gate, Shar Harachamim. This is the gate that will open when Moshiach comes (ad mosai! It should happen immediately!).


We kept working our way up, stopping to see the monument to the 5 paratroopers killed trying to liberate Yerushalayim in 1967. From there we continued up and around to the Lions Gate.

Here we entered the Muslim quarter. We stopped for some ice cream, and I finally found a Magnum Bar, vanilla with milk chocolate. I was so proud of myself to have finished using up my shekalim. I know it's impossible to trade coins, so I didn't want to be left with any. Mission accomplished! We saw some significant sights in the Muslim quarter, including the spot to where the Kodesh Hakedoshim was. We could only view it from a door from a certain point. We also stopped at the Mini Kotel, the part that is even closer to the Kodesh Hakedoshim than the one in the Kotel Tunnels.

It was very emotional. The longing for Moshiach is so strong there. We went to another spot where you can only look through the door, but you are able to see Har Habayis. We exited the tour right by the (big) Kotel.
We had an hour before our next tour, so we ran around the Old City trying to find something to eat. We ended up with some snacks and headed off to the Artzeinu tour of Ir Dovid. We were sorta tired, and it was here that I realized it wasn't the smartest move to book two walking tours back to back. Anyway.
So we meet up with our group. In the course of discussing things, the tour guide mentions we need 5 shek per person to take the shuttle back. Oops! Remember how brilliant I was to get rid of all my shekalim???? Oiy vey! Sheindy and I were going to have to walk back. But that was for later, so we just plugged on.
Part of the tour goes into the Ir Dovid excavations. We were standing on a walk way. Another tour group was passing by. One lady reaches out, gently grabs one of Sheindy's gorgeous corkscrew curls and pulls it down to see it BOING back. Poor Sheindy was SOOO embarrassed. She quickly got over it as we headed into the actual City of David.
After looking at a bunch of things, we finally reached the part we were waiting for - Hezekiah Tunnels aka the Spooky Tunnels as Sheindy calls them. Last time, Sruli and Shmueli went, even though it was so cold. I couldn't do it, so I was excited to do it now. We descended into these rock tunnels that has water running at the bottom. The beginning was deeper than most of the rest, but it means you start off getting very wet. The tunnel is not very wide, and at certain points out gets very low. The tunnel seems to go on and on and on. A couple of times I turned off my flashlight, and looked behind me. It was blacker than black. It was so dark! At the end of the tour, we were thankfully treated to the shuttle by one of the families on this tour. It was a family we had bumped into at De Karina, and they are related to Tami. That was the good news. The bad news was Gett doesn't work near the Kotel. So, we started, yup, walking to Yaffa Gate. I couldn't take one of the many taxis that were around, because, I HAD NO SHEKALIM!! Genius here! Once we were already at Yaffa Gate, we figured we would eat a Rimon again, and then head back to Shauly with a taxi. After we ate, we tried to get one, but it kept putting in the wrong location. We kept walking towards Shauly's apartment. At one point, I have up trying, and we just walked the rest of the way back. Towards the end, Sheindy's shins were hurting and I felt so bad for her.
Fitbit says I had 19,299 steps which is almost 8 miles! And I still had to pack us up for our flight back to VA!!!